


Maybe Not Forever

by VanillaMostly



Category: Veronica Mars (TV), Veronica Mars - All Media Types
Genre: Bromance, Brother-Sister Relationships, Canon Compliant, Gen, Headcanon, Platonic Relationships, i seem to have a lot of feels where Logan is concerned
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-09
Updated: 2020-12-09
Packaged: 2021-03-09 18:41:32
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,408
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27980964
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/VanillaMostly/pseuds/VanillaMostly
Summary: People disappear, but friendships don't.
Relationships: Logan Echolls & Duncan Kane
Comments: 6
Kudos: 14





	Maybe Not Forever

**Author's Note:**

> References: S2E11 (Donut Run) and Mr. Kiss and Tell (Logan's self-destructive years before he joins the Navy)
> 
> Do not own

“So should I say congrats?”

Logan leaned against the door, watching Duncan fold away his laundry in neat and perfect stacks, the Duncan way. He saw Duncan’s shoulders tense and he instantly regretted the words and his sardonic tone. Maybe it wasn’t the right time to make jokes, but truth be told Logan had no idea what else to do in a situation like this. He couldn’t imagine having a baby in the first place, much less under circumstances where the mother of the baby was your ex, she’d just died after a couple weeks of waking up from a coma, and to put the cherry on top - you weren’t even allowed to see your baby.

If Duncan was offended or hurt, though, he didn’t show it. “I’m just thrilled the kid won’t get to know her Uncle Logan,” he said, patiently rolling up a pair of socks.

Logan snorted, relieved that Duncan was in the mood to joke. “Yeah, you’d better keep her away from my mighty bad influence.”

“Maybe not forever, though,” said Duncan. He looked up, meeting Logan’s gaze.

Logan, in the middle of taking a swig from his bottle of whiskey, paused. He’d known Duncan half his life, and he knew there was something off about that look. But at the time, he was tipsy and he was stupid and it was too easy to attribute it to the complicated heap of drama that had hit his friend’s life. So instead of reading more into it, and instead of asking the right questions, Logan just forced a smile, trying to get some of the light-hearted atmosphere back.

“Look, I’m sure you’ll get to see her one day,” Logan told him. “The Mannings will come around.”

Duncan was still staring at him with that strange look. Later on, after piecing together what happened, Logan would fancy himself that Duncan was on the verge of telling him everything right then. But who knew. Their friendship had gone through some major twists and turns in the last year, not helped by the shadow of a certain 5’1” blonde between them.

As it was, the moment passed, and Duncan smiled back. Logan would later realize how much he’d underestimated Duncan Kane’s acting skills. “Enough pep talk. What I really need is the rest of that bottle,” Duncan said, coming over and snatching the drink out of Logan’s hand. Logan whooped.

“I _knew_ I was friends with you for a reason!”

-

He missed Duncan sorely over the years. Dick was good company, of course - and for all his debauchery and foolishness on the surface, Dick was there when you needed him. But Dick wasn’t Duncan.

He could never get an answer out of Veronica on Duncan’s whereabouts. Even when they were dating again. And then even that didn’t last long. Logan sometimes imagined Veronica stashing Duncan and the baby away somewhere right under everybody’s nose, like in a basement or something, and every time after a fight that was where Veronica went. He knew this was unfair. Veronica had her secrets, but she wasn’t Lilly. She was clear where her feelings stood and she made clean breaks when those feelings were gone. That was what she had done with him, wasn’t it?

He knew all that, but he still couldn’t forget - that Duncan had been Veronica’s first love. That they likely would still be together if Lilly hadn’t died, or if Meg hadn’t gotten pregnant, or if… Fine, maybe it wasn’t something he should presume. He should know better than anyone that no relationship was perfect. But it was just hard not to compare. Duncan… he was grounded. The calm one. The mature one. Maybe that was what Veronica needed - not someone as reckless and hot-headed as herself.

Not that any of it mattered anymore. Veronica had cut Logan out of her life. She had packed her bags and left Neptune. She still visited, of course she couldn’t leave her dad alone for the holidays, and she had her friends here. But where Logan was concerned, she was gone, gone like the wind, gone like Duncan.

-

It wasn’t the first time he awoke in a hospital. But this time he knew it had to be bad, because his sister was there, rhinestone sunglasses and all.

“Good, he’s alive," Trina said flatly, sliding her sunglasses to the top of her head to reveal that she was not impressed.

“ _Trina_?” Logan was so surprised he forgot to be angry. Trina hadn’t spoken one word to him since Aaron’s death. Logan had made it clear he wasn’t going to be involved with the funeral or any of his affairs - which should have suited Trina fine, as Aaron had left her every last penny. Yet it was still a big deal, apparently, that he didn’t play the role of filial duty - for the media, namely.

“Happy to see you too,” said Trina with a roll of her eyes. “Not. You do know I was in the middle of filming, right?” She removed a tube of lipstick and a compact mirror from her purse. “I don’t know if you’re trying to emulate your mom, Logan, but you’re doing it all wrong - you’re supposed to dive off a bridge, not slum it like it’s 1999 until all your organs fail. Because it’ll take _way_ too long.”

His hatred for his sister returned pretty quickly, as it turned out.

“Advice taken,” Logan shot back. “Now feel free to _leave_.”

“Careful,” said Trina, smiling. “Wouldn't want to estrange the only family you got left, would you? Oh right, I forgot. We aren’t actually related.”

“Thank God for that,” Logan muttered. He fell back against his pillow, closing his eyes and angling his face away from Trina. She was the last person he wanted to see him like this. Well, one of the last people.

“I’m guessing you don’t want to talk about this.” God, Trina was _still_ here. “C’mon, lay it on me. Like, what is it - are you just that desperate for attention? Are you just _that_ determined to throw away all of your trust fund? What could it be, Logan? Are you doing this to get back at Dad?”

“Gee, Trina, how did you know! I’m doing this to sully the family name!”

There was a short silence. Logan kept his eyes shut, waiting, and silently pleading, for his sister to storm out.

“Whatever it is,” said Trina, her voice quiet now, but Logan could hear her disappointment. “Just get your shit together.”

There was a rustling noise as she maneuvered into her coat and gathered her purse. Before she left the room, though, she tossed an envelope onto his bed.

“What is it?” Logan’s voice came out thick and he hoped Trina couldn’t tell.

“Don’t ask me,” she said. “Someone dropped it in my mailbox in Sydney.”

Logan waited for her to shut the door behind her before he sat up, taking a closer look at the envelope. It was a regular letter-sized envelope with his name typed on the front in black ink, but that was it. There was no postage stamp, no mailing or return address.

He turned the envelope over and opened it. Inside was a ripped page from a magazine, some cheap tabloid. A picture of him passed out, shirtless, looking every bit as pathetic as he currently felt, accompanied by the headline: LOGAN ECHOLLS WASTED AGAIN. Logan tossed it aside, sparing himself the subheader that no doubt included a zingy line about his “murdered murderer!” of a father or “tragic beauty!” of a mother. But then he noticed a card, attached to the back page.

The card was simple and blank, just like the envelope, except for a short line of words. But this time it was handwritten:

_You’re better than this._

There was no name, but Logan knew who wrote it. He had seen the familiar scrawl a million times before, on birthday cards, on his homework, on notes passed in class as far back as sixth grade.

Logan laughed. His vision got blurry there for a minute, and he had to blink a few times.

It suddenly came back, those words Duncan had said, several years ago, on the last day he saw him. _Maybe not forever._

He looked at the tabloid image of himself, then looked to the window, where there was just enough sunlight to see his reflection. Yeah. “Maybe not forever,” Logan repeated softly.


End file.
